Fallen Star
by cheeke96
Summary: When a mysterious guest arrives, Bella and Edwards's relationship is questioned and challenged. Where was she going to stop? Death?  Set in between Twilight and New Moon. All slots together as if actually part of the series. Enjoy :
1. Chapter 1  Meeting

**HEYYY :) Hope you enjoy this story, Let me just say that this story is between Twilight and New Moon and should(hopefully) slot in like it could be part of the series, so tbh there are no changes to any of the main characters :) Please Review! Happy Read****ing**

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><p><strong>MEETING<strong>

_**Bella**_

Sitting on my bed I looked up at Edward, who was fiddling with my hair. Tonight was an average Friday night; Mr Banner had given me a ton of biology homework and, since Edward had refused to do it for me, I was wasting my time with Edward with my head buried inside a biology book. Ever since I had met Edward my life had changed and turned around completely. But now things had a semblance of normality about them and I was happy with my new family and totally amazing and gorgeous boyfriend. Suddenly the doorbell rang and ruined my concentration which was already limited by Edward's proximity, and I was relieved to have a distraction. I ran down the stairs and called to Charlie "I'll get it!"

I opened the door and the young girl in front of me looked up at me. She was beautiful, and her jet-black hair reached all the way down her back. The contrast between her face and her hair was shocking, and her eyes were like chips of coal but they glittered like black diamonds from the light above my head. She wore a long white top that showed off her perfect figure over casual blue jeans and on her feet she had white stilettos. I was surprised she could walk around in them without falling over, as I surely would.

I guessed from her height that she was around 16 years old, but her face was innocent and without any stress lines on her forehead that reminded me of a child. She smiled, and the light glinted off perfect white teeth. I was almost certain that she was a vampire, and the idea scared me.

"Um...I'm looking for Charlie Swan?" Her voice was high-pitched and musical. I just stared at her stupidly. Why was she here? If she was a vampire, did she want to kill Charlie? She looked confused, then spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I'm Sydney." She stretched out her hand for a handshake. I took her hand and unexpectedly felt warmth. Her hand was cold, but not as cold as a vampire. I relaxed, she wasn't a vampire after all. Of course her hand was cold, it was Forks after all and she wasn't wearing gloves. But how could anyone be that beautiful yet not be a vampire?

I smiled at her. "I'm Bella Swan, my dad's in the living room, come in."

She smiled her perfect smile. "Sydney," she repeated, and came in. I shut the door and led her into the living room where Charlie was, as always, watching a baseball game. She seemed nervous, agitated in some way as she saw Charlie.

"Who was it Bells?" asked my dad, not turning around. Sydney hesitated at the door, her face undecided.

"A girl called Sydney, Dad. She's here to see you."

Charlie turned in his seat, saw Sydney and stood up, putting the TV on mute with the remote at the same time.

She smiled, nervous and a little sheepish. "Hi Dad," she said very quietly, yet not in a whisper. A gleaming diamond rolled down her face. I froze. Had she just called Charlie Dad? What? I didn't have a sister; I would have been told if I had. Surely they would have told me. Wouldn't they?

Charlie stared at her. His mouth was hanging open. "You-you can't be, you can't be _my_ Sydney..."

"It's me, Dad."

Her smile faded as he made no move towards her. He just stood there, looking shell-shocked. Behind me, I felt Edward standing where he hadn't been half a second before. Then Charlie crossed the room at a run and grabbed Sydney. He hugged her tightly and the tears flowed freely down her face.

"You didn't tell me you had a sister," Edward whispered accusingly. I turned, and his face was puzzled. "I don't, I mean, maybe I do now, I don't know, I never thought I did," I whispered back in total bewilderment. My thoughts were in total chaos. A sister? Renee never told me about a sister.

Charlie looked up at me and Edward, and let go of Sydney. She turned around to face us. Something flickered in her eyes as she saw Edward, there for just a moment, but I recognised it. Recognition. I puzzled over it, but then stopped as Charlie began to speak.

"Bells, this is your sister, Sydney." He swallowed, and then went on. "Your mother went through a depression when Sydney was born. She-she put her up for adoption."

I felt stunned. Edward wrapped his arms around me. Sydney looked surprised, then annoyed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.

"We thought that you would get upset if we told you." Charlie's face was guilty.

"I _am_ upset, Dad!"

Charlie looked away. I stared at the girl. Sydney. My sister. I could barely take it in. I could feel Edward's body, and it was tense. I knew that he was feeling exactly the same as I was. It comforted me to not be alone.

"I suppose she'll be staying the night then?" I asked Charlie. He looked to Sydney for an answer.

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble," she replied, her sweet voice worried.

"No it's fine. Do you mind sleeping on the sofa?"

"No."

"OK then." I turned away past Edward and up the stairs. I knew that Edward was following me.

I took some sheets, blankets and a pillow, and then began walking back down the stairs. I could barely see where I was going over the pile in my hands, and stumbled once. Edward caught me, then silently took the pile from me. He didn't say anything until I had finished making up the sofa. Sydney and Charlie had moved to the kitchen. I could hear their voices through the door.

"There's something wrong with her," Edward stated.

"Oh, Edward, honestly, she's my...sister." I hesitated to say the word

"A sister you never knew you had until today."

"That's not the point, Edward!"

"Then what is?" he asked, maddeningly calm.

I held up a hand as I thought of how to answer him.

"She's my sister," I said slowly. "It doesn't matter that I never knew I had one. What _does_ matter is that she's _family._ I don't think I can explain it right, but I already love her, because she's my sister. You probably won't understand."

Edward regarded me coolly. "You're right. I don't understand." He glanced up at the clock. "And I have to go now. My family will definitely be interested in this."

"Won't Alice already know?"

"I doubt that she was paying attention." He paused, and then went on. "The girl has your gift. Weaker, but strong enough that I can only just make out the colour of her emotions. "

"Then she's definitely my sister."

He nodded grudgingly, then kissed my forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered, his cool breath caressing my face. Then he was gone, and I heard the front door close softly. I didn't have to look out the window to know that he would be in his car and gone from the street in record time.

I took a deep breath, and entered the kitchen with a nervous smile on my face., already decided that I would take an early night.

I opened my eyes. It was morning, and I could hear the soft_pitter-patter_ of rain on my window. I uncurled myself from the foetal position I usually slept in and stretched. Then I remembered the events of yesterday. It was extraordinary. I thought I was good with the unusual, but obviously not. Though what I'd told Edward last night was true. I did love Sydney, the same way I loved Renee and Charlie. But still, having a sister just walk through the door...

I dressed quickly in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a warm jumper. I brushed my hair as well as I could and examined myself critically in the mirror before I deemed myself presentable. Then I walked downstairs. Sydney and Charlie were already up, and a delicious smell wafted through the kitchen door, making my stomach rumble. I breathed the smell in deeply. Cinnamon.

I entered and saw Sydney and Charlie reading, Charlie his newspaper and Sydney her book. Inwardly I smiled. So she was a reader as well, then. She looked up, and smiled at me.

"Hey, Bella!" she said enthusiastically. I grinned back. Her face was so lit and sweet that I couldn't resist, even if I hadn't wanted to.

"Morning Syd, Dad."

"Morning Bells." Charlie didn't look up. "Syd made cinnamon buns. They're amazing."

Sydney blushed, her face fully red like mine was when I blushed. "I try," she replied modestly. She put down her book. I read the title, _Dracula_, a Bram Stoker novel. Vampire book. Probably a coincidence. She offered me a plate of buns. I took one and bit deeply into it. Delicious.

"You should cook more often, Syd," I remarked.

"Yes, but I've learnt never to cook with Charlie already." Her eyes glinted mischievously and we shared a laugh.

"Hey, cut it out," Charlie complained.

I stayed with them for ten more minutes, then rushed out the house so as not to be late for school. Edward didn't pick me up today, so I took the truck. I was glad of the truck's protection as the never ceasing rain poured from the sky. I reached school in good time.

I didn't see Edward's Volvo in the parking lot, so I just went to class. It wasn't until lunch that I finally saw him, sitting at a table across the cafeteria with Alice. I got a sandwich and a soda, then headed over to sit with them.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a sister?" Alice asked, a little annoyed, before I had even sat down.

"I didn't know," I replied defensively. "Besides, you should have seen it before it happened."

"I was hunting."

"Hello Bella," Edward inserted before Alice could elaborate any further. My favourite crooked smile flashed across his face. "I sorry I couldn't pick you up for school today, but I had to stop Jasper and Emmett from visiting your house to see the girl."

"It's fine." I answered his smile with one of my own. His eyes were topaz today. "But her name is Sydney."

"I know."

"Then I'd like you to use it."

He shot me a half annoyed look, then corrected himself. "Yes, _Sydney._"

"This is obviously an unexpected development for us," interjected Alice. "We're not sure how this is going to work, because obviously she's going to be around a lot more than Charlie. She might, like you, end up finding out the truth about us. We can't allow that to happen."

I bit into my sandwich and swallowed. "Then don't hang around her that much. Just when necessary, and to be polite."

"Yes." Alice gazed at me earnestly. "But we're going to have to be careful."

"You know I will."

"Yes, I do." She smiled, and changed the subject. "So when are you coming round again? I know Esme would love to see you again..."

And that pretty much ended our Sydney conversation.

A week passed.

I got to know my sister a lot better over those seven days. I found out that she was 15, going on 16. She'd lived with two foster families in two different states before she'd found us. And, as I got know her better, I started noticing things, little things, like the way something in her eyes changed when her mood changed, and the way her whole body smiled when she was happy. She helped me with the cooking and cleaning, and I knew that she was becoming more comfortable.

At school, Alice, Jasper and Emmett constantly badgered me with questions about Sydney. Jasper didn't seem convinced that Sydney wasn't a threat. Edward adopted a silently hostile attitude whenever he was around her. He avoided her whenever possible. When I confronted him about this, he merely said "I don't like her," then distracted me with a kiss.

The day came for Sydney to start school. I really hoped that she wouldn't get freaked out by all the people waiting to meet her. Her arrival had been even more looked forward to than mine, given her circumstances. On the morning in question, she came in early to my room, dressed casually in jeans and a chequered shirt to wake me up.

"How long have you been up?" I asked, my voice fuzzy with sleep.

She laughed. "I don't know...I got up, made my bed, cooked breakfast and had a shower, so I'm guessing pretty early."

I groaned and rubbed my eyes. "Why'd you get up so early? No normal, sane human being does that."

She looked like she was enjoying some private joke as she answered. "I couldn't sleep."

"Well, now I can't. Get out so I can get changed." When she didn't move, I threw my pillow at her. She dodged with ease, then, laughing, closed the door.

15 minutes later we hurried out of the house, through the sleeting rain and into the warm interior of the truck. Sydney seemed a bit nervous. "What's it like, school?"

"It'll be fine," I reassured her. "I won't be in any of your classes, because you're a freshman, but you can sit with me at lunch if you want." She nodded, and looked out the window. We drove in silence until I parked. Sydney gracefully slipped out the car, and walked with me over to where Edward was waiting.

"Hello Bella,...Sydney," he greeted us. I didn't miss the slight pause before he said Sydney's name, but didn't say anything.

"Hi Edward." I smiled at him. His lips curved upwards in response. Sydney stayed silent.

"Aww, don't worry," I told her and gave her a hug. "You'll be fine, and I'll see you at lunch if you haven't already got some friends."

She nodded again, then walked off towards the main office.

"Don't worry about her," murmured Edward in my ear. "She'll be fine."

"What's your problem with her anyway?" I demanded, spinning to face him. "You've hated her from the beginning. Why?"

He looked uncomfortable. "She smells weird. Not human. Not vampire either. She doesn't look human. Weird."

"She's human," I insisted, although a part of me was slightly worried about this.

"I know, love."

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><p><strong>Thanks :) Please Review x<strong>

**Krissy and Weronika :)**


	2. Chapter 2 Impression

**Please Review :) Sorry this is such a short chapter :(**

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><p><strong>IMPRESSION<strong>

_**SYDNEY**_

So much sound. So many smells. Overwhelmed.

I was relieved when the time for lunch came. I hadn't been in school since...well, since the incident. The fact that I had never actually been to high school didn't help either. I wasn't prepared. I mentally berated myself as I got a slice of pizza and a Diet Coke. I looked wildly around for Bella once I'd got them, and saw her sitting at a table with the Cullen's. _Crap. Why there?_ I cursed. But I walked slowly over and sat down. I analysed the Cullen's with my eyes and compared them with everything I had heard about them. The pixie had to be Alice, the blond bimbo Rosalie, Emmett the big muscly one and Jasper the one that looked like he was in pain. I was uncomfortable sitting next to them, as I was with most of their kind. They didn't talk to me much, but I got the feeling that they were watching my every move. I answered questions on autopilot, not really listening, just concentrating on forcing the food down my throat, even though I wasn't hungry.

I decided I was happy here. No one paid too much attention to me, although I knew that I could make some friends.

Of course, as soon as I had that thought, something happened that completely ruined my day.

I heard him before I saw him. A big, ugly boy, with an ugly voice to match. I made a quick assessment of him in my head. A bully, eager to do anything as long as it would gain him some points in his favour with his mates. A weakling. I'd met his sort before, hanging out in the dodgy part of Las Vegas. I saw his eyes move over the crowd in the cafeteria, then snap back to our table. His mates saw us too, and urged him on. For a brief moment, I saw uncertainty in his eyes. Then it disappeared. He made his way over. I poked Bella in the back. "Incoming," I warned her. Her liquid brown widened as she looked at the direction in which my finger was pointing. Edward looked the same way. His face didn't move, but his body stance told me that he was angry and holding himself in very tightly.

The guy reached our table. "How's it going, weirdo's?" he sneered. No one at the table moved. "Of course, the weirdo's know that they should be silent in the presence of their betters."

Hmmm. A little more eloquent than the average bully.

"And of course, this little pretty thing here has been taken over. Why else why would she be sitting here, with you losers? The moment she met you guys, she was doomed to a life of misery and ill-fortune with the freaks." He looked directly at Bella as he said this. A rising, hot anger spread through me. I quickly looked at Edward. He had his eyes closed. His body was tense, restraining himself. I read his body language, and knew that he wasn't going to do anything. So I did it. I stood up, and tapped his shoulder. He turned towards me. I grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him closer towards me. "Don't. Talk. About. My. Sister. Like. That." I growled in his ear menacingly. Then I punched him full in the face. I was careful to limit the amount of power I used to punch him. I longed to use my full strength, but I knew that that would kill him, so I settled for breaking his nose. It crunched satisfyingly and blood spurted out. I saw Jasper's face suddenly change, his expression hungry. Alice pulled him away and out of the cafeteria before he did anything. I let go of the bully's shirt. He slid to the floor, unconscious. I realised that everyone was looking at me. I turned to Edward. "Jeez, boy, you are such a wimp," I spat at him scathingly, then turned on my heel and left, my muscles straining to break into a run to get home. As I exited the cafeteria, I noticed my reflection in a window. Black fire danced in my eyes, making me look dangerous. I decided that I quite liked it. Then I began to run, blurring away so fast that I was invisible to the human eye.

I sighed. I was trying to focus on the maths equations I had been given for homework that day before I'd bunked off the afternoon. But thoughts of that boy kept creeping up on me. I was getting disjointed flashbacks...his blood and my fingers and on his shirt...bone and cartilage crunching easily under my fist...hunger...Bella's face, shocked...

I shook my head, trying to clear it, and looked back at the equation. 5(yxk)=8(l-e)-2. I'd left school two years ago. I'd missed a lot. I had no idea how to do this question, and I had no access to a calculator. And there were 20 more questions like this. I closed the book, then leant back in my chair and gave in to the thoughts that buzzed around my mind like little wasps. What was Bella going to say? I knew I'd gone too far.

I should have just kicked him between the legs, I reflected. Breaking people, that was more their style than mine.

I was probably suspended as well. On my first day. That had to be some kind of record. Bella's face filled my mind again. That look of horror. I was sorry that Bella had to have seen that. The course I should have taken was clear to me now. I should have waited until it was dark, and he was stumbling home, trying to convince himself that he wasn't drunk. I'd seen him doing that every night since I'd arrived during my nightly prowls. Then I could have taken him. But my mind had been clouded with anger. But I wasn't sorry for what I'd done to him. It had made me feel good, and that look in my eyes that I had seen in the window had made me feel even better. Powerful. A feeling I'd been taught to enjoy. That feeling was fantastic, but the guilt I also felt, not so fantastic. In the back of my mind, I wondered how badly I'd hurt him. I knew for certain that I'd broken his nose, and that it would need repair work.

The front door opened. I heard Bella enter, and hang her coat up. No Edward. I was grateful. I hated that boy. Not even a boy.

"SYDNEY!" I heard Bella yell from downstairs. I winced, I was so dead.

"I'm coming," I called back. I got up reluctantly from my chair, unwilling to face the inevitable tirade, and padded quietly down the stairs.

"Living room. NOW!" Bella was really mad.

I began to trudge into the living room, accepting my fate, when the phone rang. Bella turned to answer it. I saw my chance. I grabbed my coat and was out the door as fast as I could without revealing to Bella just how fast I could be. "Bye Bella!" I yelled, slamming the door behind me.

It was a relief to enter the forest with its dark green light filtering through the leaves and the rain water dripping down.

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><p><strong>Krissy &amp; Weronika x<strong>


	3. Chapter 3 Gone

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><p><strong>GONE<strong>

_**Bella**_

Rory's father was telling me what the damage had been to Rory. His nose was completely squashed, and he had a small fracture in his jaw. He was still unconscious and might not wake until tomorrow. I found the amount of damage caused ridiculous

"I'm so sorry, Mr Jackson," I said sincerely down the phone. "I guess Sydney just flipped when he started being rude to me. She's very protective. I'm sure this won't ever happen again. I'll talk to her, don't worry. And yes, she's suspended for the next few days. Yes, I'm so sorry. Please call me if anything else happens. Thank you."

I hung up. This whole business was weird. Sydney didn't seem like she had enough strength to do that level of damage. Once again, my vampire suspicions rose to the front of my mind. I pushed them away. Sydney wasn't a vampire. She was just different.

I went into the kitchen and began preparing Charlie's favourite for dinner. Maybe that would help break the news to him. Although, if Sydney had any sense, then she'd stay out until Charlie went to bed.

As I was cooking later that night, I heard a soft knock at the door. I washed my hands and went to answer the door, silently hoping that it was Edward. Sure enough, my beautiful Adonis was waiting on the doorstep for me.

"Hello Bella," he said, snagging my waist and pulling me forward for a quick kiss. All thoughts of Sydney flew out of my mind. As usual, he pulled away before I'd had nearly enough. "Do I smell burning?"

"Dang!" I ran back to the kitchen. Edward was already there and had taken the pot off the stove. I drained off the water, and divided the food onto two plates. I put one in the oven to keep it warm, the other on the table and began eating from it. Edward sat down on the other side from me, and we sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes as I concentrated on eating. Edward broke it.

"I was wondering whether you would like to come to my house tomorrow? You haven't been for a while, and I know that Esme misses you."

I smiled. "I'd love to see Esme again. Of course I'll come."

The lock turned in the door, and I heard it open along with the sounds of Charlie coming in and taking his shoes off.

"Bells? Syd?" he called.

"In here, Dad," I answered. He came in.

"Something smells good Bells. Where's Syd?"

I made a split-second decision and lied quickly. "She's gone to her friend's house. She'll be back later."

He grunted, accepting it. I handed him his plate of food and he left for the living room, muttering a greeting to Edward as he went. A few moments later, I heard the TV switch on.

_**Sydney**_

I had slept beneath a tree before. Always a good place, comfortable and offers either shade from the sun or protection from the rain. In this case, it was the latter.

"Damn rain," I grumbled, settling down at the base of the tree and covering myself with my coat. I wasn't entirely sure why I was sleeping under a tree, but I figured it was better than going home. Besides, I preferred my own company.

I lay back, suddenly tired. I fell asleep to the sound of the rain falling softly.

In my dream I was on a rollercoaster. The cart I was in started off slowly then picked up speed. I was hanging on for dear life, and then the cart just...stopped. I opened my eyes. And then nearly had a heart attack. I wasn't underneath the tree anymore. I was lying on the sofa in a house, which was definitely not Charlie's. I saw Edward standing nearby, watching me. There was another man there, a blond guy with almost the same colour eyes. I recognised him as Carlisle. My research hadn't gone to waste. Facts about him leapt to the forefront of my mind as soon as I recognised him. He moved towards me and I tensed. He raised his hands in a peace gesture.

"I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently. He glanced at Edward and continued. "But Edward here found you sleeping underneath a tree, and as you are Bella's sister, he brought you here."

"Why?" I demanded. "Why here?"

"It was closer," Edward replied smoothly. "Now that you're awake, I can take you back."

I drew in a breath sharply. "I can make my own way back parasit–I mean I can make my own way back thank you very much. Where's my jacket?"

Carlisle looked slightly upset. "It's on the end of the sofa."

I swung myself off the sofa, grabbed my jacket and put it on all in one fluid movement. Then I eyeballed Edward. "Next time, do me a favour and don't kidnap me, just leave me. And stay away from my sister. You're not right for her."

I turned away and moved quickly towards the door, but not too quickly. As soon as I was out, I headed towards the forest. I may be a good girl at home, but I'd come too far. I was a rebel at heart. I kept walking at a human pace until I was completely sure that the Cullens couldn't hear or see me, and then I sped up, moving much faster than any normal human. I was going away, somewhere with a change of scenery. I didn't look back.

I ran for a long time, letting the rain wash away my anger. I wanted...I wanted...to go back home, my old home, in La Push, but I knew I couldn't. What if someone recognised me? My old family thought I was dead, murdered. I wished I could see them, but that was impossible. I missed them, my foster parents Thea and Jack, and my foster brother and sister Masie and Tom, both younger than me. I missed them all, but especially Daniel, a few years older than me. God, he was what, nineteen now? A man and I hadn't been there to see him become one. Surely it wouldn't hurt to see them again...no.

I suppose it was the emptiness I felt inside me when I thought of them had prompted me to go find my real family.

I stopped. I wasn't quite sure where I was, but I figured if I went south, I'd eventually get to Charlie's. I turned, and ran back, faster than the raindrops falling from the sky. Too soon I was back. I stood under the porch and shook my head like a dog, drops flying from my hair. I took my key out, inserted it in the lock and turned. Stepping inside I called out "Bella, I'm home."

A voice I didn't expect answered. "Sydney, come here." Charlie. I swore under my breath.

"Yes, Dad?" I replied, oozing innocence and sweetness.

"Where have you been?"

"At a friend's." The lie tripped off my tongue easily.

"Why didn't you pick up your cell?"

"Battery died." I moved backwards as I spoke, edging closer to the door. "I've really got to go Dad. Forks isn't working out for me." I turned, and ran upstairs, taking them two at a time. Who was I kidding? I couldn't stay here, restricted by rules and family. I was the only one in control of my life. I grabbed my rucksack, which contained everything I owned. I'd known I'd leave sooner rather than later, so I always kept it packed. I went back downstairs, brushing past Charlie, who was standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I don't know. L.A or New York. I'll send a postcard." I opened the door.

"You can't leave."

"I can and will." I glanced up and saw Charlie's face, creased in pain. I felt sad that I was hurting him, but I had to go. "I'm sorry, Dad," I said in a gentler voice. "But I can't stay."

I closed the door, and headed off. I didn't look back.

_**Bella**_

I opened the door, still buoyed from seeing Edward. "I'm back, Dad," I called out cheerfully.

No reply.

I opened the living room door. "Dad?"

Charlie was sitting in his favourite chair, surrounded by empty crumpled up beer cans. Some were littered the TV screen, which was on and showing a baseball game, and I could see that Charlie had thrown the cans at the screen. The man himself, the policeman, was sprawled out, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, completely passed out.

I touched his shoulder. He stirred weakly, moaning.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Sydney," he muttered. "Everyone leaves me, you, Rene, and now Sydney." Tears trickled down his face, and he fell unconscious again.

I shook him. "What happened to Sydney? Dad!"

"She's gone, like everyone else. Leave me 'lone now."

His head drooped, and he didn't move anymore.

"Dad? Dad! DAD! Please wake up! Dad!" I shook him as hard as I could, but he still didn't wake up, or even stir slightly. I felt for his pulse in his neck with fumbling fingers, and finally, after an a few agonizing minutes, found it. It was so weak, and fluttering erratically.

I grabbed my cell and punched in 911. "My dad's been drinking," I cried when the operator put me through to the ambulance. "His pulse rate is really messed up." I was shaking, barely coherent as I gave the person on the other side my address. I was crying when the paramedics arrived. I went with him in the ambulance, still in shock, my dad was wheeled into intensive care. Through the windows in the door I saw them putting defibrillator packs on his chest.

I paced up and down, needing to do _something_ to help, but unable to think of anything. Then Edward crossed my mind. I dialled his number and he answered on the first ring. "Bella? Is everything OK?"

I was so glad to hear his voice. "Charlie's in hospital." My voice quavered and broke.

"Oh Bella. I'm on my way now."

"No, don't come here."

"Why?"

"I need you to go to the house and see if you can pick up Sydney's scent and follow her. She took off just before Charlie drank himself into a coma."

"Charlie drank himself into a coma? Hang on a moment." There was some muffled talking on the other side, then Edward came back on. "Carlisle's on his way. I'll go and find Sydney, then I'll be right there. Will you be OK until then?"

I nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see me, then answering. "Yes, I will."

I could tell he didn't believe my lie. "I'll be there soon," he promised again. "As soon as I can. Love you."

"Love you too," I whispered.

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><p><strong>Krissy &amp; Weronika x<strong>


	4. Chapter 4 Secrets

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><p><strong>SECRETS<strong>

_**SYDNEY**_

I wasn't sure where I was going when I left Charlie's. Story of my life. I just went where the wind blew me, skipping from place to place, all across the world, never settling in one place long enough to call it home.

But this past year, I had had a _reason _for once. A purpose. I had been searching for my true family, and now that I had finally found them, I had discovered I really couldn't stay put for once. So I was back to wandering aimlessly again.

I enjoyed the opportunity to run as fast as I could, blurring through the forest, really stretching my legs. I ran for a while, heading east, then suddenly stopped. I was still in thick woodland, but I felt I was far enough from Forks that the Cullen's probably wouldn't come across me on one of their hunting trips. I had accidently stumbled on them once or twice on my trips through the forest, but I had managed to get away without them noticing. No point in even giving them a hint of what I was.

I turned and started scrambling up the tree next to me, a giant of a redwood. It showed how deep I was in the forest that it hadn't been cut down and made into furniture. I climbed about three quarters of the way up, high enough that I would have an uninterrupted view far around me, but low enough that I could comfortably perch on a branch without fearing that it would snap under my weight.

I sat with my back pressed against the tree trunk, my legs dangling from either side of my branch. I pulled my rucksack off and placed it in front of me, unzipped it and dug through the clothes I'd grabbed from Charlie's for my phone. Turning it on, I saw that I had 16 new messages and 21 missed calls. I should really have been checking my phone more often, and answering back to a few of the messages so as to make sure none of my friends would get it into their heads to come and look for me. It wouldn't do for any of them to come to Forks and decide to snack upon one of my family or have a faceoff with the Cullens and tell them who I was. I preferred not to tell anyone anything about me unless necessary.

I brought up my inbox, and started working through my unread messages from the oldest to the newest. Mostly they were trivial, friends wanting to meet up, but the newest message caught my eye. It was from a close friend of mine, Ben. He was about the same age as me, I had found him in London two years ago, and we had hit it off straight away.

Where the hell r u?

Oops. He sounded a little annoyed. I clicked on my phonebook, scrolled down until I found his number and hit the dial button.

He picked up on the first ring. "Finally Syd! I thought you were dead or something!" His cheerful voice rang through the speaker.

I laughed. "Well, I'm obviously not."

"What happened to you? You weren't answering your phone for the longest time."

"Sorry. I just wanted a bit of time on my own, you know?" I lied.

"For a month? Ah, whatever. Tell me, you in Washington state?"

I was surprised. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

I could almost hear him tapping his nose as he replied. "I have my sources. Anyway, I just touched down at Vancouver airport. Victoria wanted me to give you a message. Tell me where you are, and I'll come meet you."

Damn. I couldn't well tell him where I really was. I wanted to tell him everything, but I couldn't be sure that no one was eavesdropping. I would put it past Victoria to have bugged my phone. "I'll meet you in Seattle. Do me a favour and book a hotel room on your way there."

"Sure," he agreed cheerfully. "I'll text you the hotel address. Gotta go now, nearly at the passport barrier. Talk to you later."

"Bye," I said, grinning, and hung up. Just hearing his voice was enough to make me smile.

I tucked my phone into my jeans pocket, slung my backpack over my shoulder and let myself fall sideways off the branch. I hurtled towards the earth, pushing off large branches to avoid them, the smaller twigs whipping my face before turning in the air and landing, cat-like, in a crouch on the balls of my feet. I stood up, brushed off some leaves on my shoulders, and set off towards Seattle at a leisurely run. There was no rush, Ben would most likely take a few hours to get down to Seattle from Vancouver. Why he had gone there I could not fathom, I thought D.C would have been a better choice. But whatever the reason, I couldn't wait to see him.

"Sydney!" Ben cried as I arrived outside the fancy sounding Sourange Hotel. He was lounging against the wall outside, dressed normally in jeans and a checked shirt. But no one would ever mistake him for ordinary with his golden hair and extraordinary chiselled good looks that we were gifted with. He enfolded me in his arms, holding me in a bear hug. The stubble blooming on his cheeks scraped against my skin, but I didn't mind. "I missed you," he said.

"I missed you too." I stepped backwards out of him arms, and felt a twinge of guilt as I looked up at him. Why hadn't I texted him before or something?

He beamed at me. "Come on, there's a cafe 'round the corner. Let's go there and get something. I'm starving."

I laughed as I followed him. He always had had an insatiable appetite.

The cafe was small, but stylish, with shiny metal tables and black chairs. Ben and I settled into the square, black armchairs around the table next to the window. I ordered a hot chocolate and a croissant, Ben also ordered a hot chocolate, but with a basket of muffins.

"So tell me," he started, biting into the first muffin in his basket, a blueberry, "what you been doing this past month."

I took a sip of my hot chocolate. It was hot enough to scald a human's mouth, but not mine. I leaned forward. "I wasn't totally honest with you earlier."

"In what way?"

"When I was human, I was adopted. Then, when I turned, I started digging into my past. Since I had been ripped away from my adoptive family, I became curious about my real one."

Ben was listening intently. He motioned for me to go as I stopped.

"After some hacking, I found my mother's file on the adoption agency that my family had gotten me through. Her name was Renee Swan." I swallowed. "She listed being unable to care for a second child as her reason to giving me up."

"_Second _child?" queried Ben, his eyebrow raised.

"Yes. At the time, she had a two year old daughter with my dad." Resentment flashed through me. "But she kept that one."

"Did you find her?"

"Not her. I don't care much about her. I mean, she gave me up, didn't she? But she had separated from my father at the time of my birth, so I figured maybe he hadn't wanted to give me up. So I started looking for him."

"He lives in Washington?" Ben connected the dots.

"In Forks with my sister Bella," I agreed.

"Wow. What are they like?" Ben asked curiously.

"Fine actually. I just couldn't stick with staying in one place, so I left." I leaned forward. "But get this, there's a vampire coven in Forks, and my sister is dating one of them."

Ben choked on his muffin. "What?" he spluttered after he managed to swallow the blockage in his throat.

"You heard me.."

Ben laughed a little. "Vampires," he scoffed. "Their so weird."

"Well, they're not like us," I reminded him.

"Still. Anyway, let's go back." There was a sudden excitement in his eyes.

"What? No! I didn't exactly leave on the best terms," I admitted reluctantly.

"What did you do?"

"Punched a boy for making fun of my sister." I smiled sheepishly.

"Attagirl," Ben congratulated me. "But you still gotta go back. You shouldn't give up on your family now that you've found them," he continued, suddenly serious. "Tell you what, I'll come with you. We'll stay here for the night, 'cos I've already paid for the room, and then tomorrow we'll go to Forks. We can get a flat or something, and I'll go to school with you." He grinned. "I haven't been to school for a _long _time. Besides, new girls."

I considered this. It sounded good. It would be nice to have someone at my back.

"Hope your minds protected" I warned him cryptically.

He tapped his forehead. "Jahed taught me some new tricks while you were gone. Don't worry, I know how to keep people out my mind." He pulled out his phone as he finished the last muffin, and swallowed the last dregs of his drink, tapping away at the screen.

"What're you doing?"

"Looking for a flat. Ah," he held up his phone for me to see. "Two bed roomed flat, near town centre, three miles from local high school."

I couldn't argue. "Go on then."

I checked my own phone as Ben made the necessary arrangements. Sure enough, Bella had left me a few angry voicemails. I sighed as I imaged facing her again tomorrow. But at the same time, I was quite looking forward to going back to Forks. Especially now Ben was coming with me.

"I don't wanna," I whined, sounding like a sulky child as I hung back from the path leading up to Charlie's house. Ben and I had stayed the night in Seattle, and had been to see the flat Ben had just bought. It was all done very quickly, since Ben had offered a few thousand over the asking price if he could move in today.

"I don't care, wimp, you're doing it anyway," Ben replied remorselessly. He pushed past me and marched up the path to the door, took the door knocker and banged it down hard three times. Groaning, I blurred up next to him. I didn't have to take care that anyone would see me, as there were basically no neighbours for a few kilometres each way.

Ben just had time to give me a comforting smile before the door was whipped open by Charlie. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he'd stayed awake for most of the night, his cheeks unshaven, not in a rock star way like Ben, but in a didn't-have-time-to-shave way.

"Sydney?" he whispered, as if he couldn't believe that it was me.

"Yeah." I braced myself for the yelling that would surely follow. But what he did next surprised even me. He reached out and hugged me as tightly as he could.

"You came back," he sniffed. I felt a tear drop from his eye onto the fabric of my t-shirt. Moisture was beginning to well up in my eye as well, and I blinked it away before anyone could see.

"Of course I did." I patted his back somewhat awkwardly. I had absolutely no idea what to do.

Charlie drew back, his eyes still somewhat watery. "Who's this?" he asked, seemingly noticing Ben for the first time.

I quickly made introductions. "Ben, this is my dad Charlie. Charlie, this is my friend Ben."

Ben beamed at him. "Pleased to meet you sir," he said genuinely, holding out his hand for him to shake. I saw in Charlie's eyes that he liked him as he accepted Ben's handshake.

"Likewise. Come in, come in."

We followed him through the hallway to the kitchen. It wasn't empty. Bella was there, standing with her arms crossed next to Edward. I suppressed my feeling of dislike for him, focusing instead on Bella's angry face.

"Where have you been!" she yelled. "I've been going out of my mind with worry ever since you left!"

"I'm really sorry," I replied weakly. "I just needed some...space?"

"Without saying anything!" Bella wasn't going to be stopped.

"Please Bella. I'm really sorry. I was just a bit crazy. This place doesn't feel like home yet, I guess." I gestured vaguely around me.

"She's not going again," put in Ben. Bella turned to him.

"And you are?"

"Ben Hilsmitch," he introduced himself, reaching out to shake her hand. "You must be Bella."

"Um, yeah," she answered, looking a little dazed by his smile. I knew from experience that it did crazy stuff to your mind. "And this is my boyfriend Edward."

"Hi Mozzarella," Ben joked. Edward stared at him frostily.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't worry about it mate."

"Are you really staying for good now?" Charlie interrupted as Edward opened his mouth to reply.

"Uh, about that. I'm staying, but I'm gonna live with Ben in his flat," I admitted.

"No way," denied Charlie flatly. "You are not living with a boy. You're only sixteen for Chrissake."

"Daaad!" I rolled my eyes. "Ben's my _friend._"

"You could say I'm her brother from another mother," inserted Ben helpfully. Charlie stared at him blankly. "She's like my sister," Ben clarified.

"Well, I don't care," declared Charlie. "I'm your father, and I say no."

"I can't live here on the couch forever you know. Besides, I'm legally emancipated, so you can't control me," I argued.

"How'd you have enough money for a flat anyway?" queried Edward, one sculptured eyebrow raised.

"'Cos I'm a rich bitch, innit doe Mozzarella." Ben played up his British accent.

Edward moved suddenly, as if preparing to hit Ben, but stopped, and went back into his original position. He moved so fast that no human would have seen it, but me and Ben did. Ben's smile grew insolent as he silently dared Edward with his eyes.

Charlie looked crushed. "Don't you want to stay with me?" he asked, sounding slightly pathetic.

"Of course I do. But there's no space for me here. I'll be coming over most days after school anyway, and Ben's coming to Fork's High School as well, so he won't be able to corrupt me." Ben had somehow managed to enrol himself there last night.

"He's coming?" Edward asked in disappointment.

"Yep." Ben was still smiling, but I recognised by his stance that he was poised to fight. I reached out and touched him softly on the shoulder. _Stop it_ I sent.

I felt Ben's muscles relax under my hand. I checked my watch.

"We really have to go Dad. Ben and I need to go buy some furniture for our new flat. You guys can all come over when it's done," I added.

"Oh. OK. I'll see you later then." Charlie looked sad.

"It was a pleasure to meet you sir," Ben said to Charlie.

"Please, call me Charlie. I'm not the Chief right now, so there's no need to."

Ben grinned. "Pleasure to meet you then, Charlie."

"And you."

Ben left the room, but not before turning to Edward, making a V of his index and middle finger, then pointing them first at his eye's, and then at Edward's, the gesture for _I'm watching you_.

I hugged Bella and Charlie. "See you later guys." I completely ignored Edward, although I didn't think he noticed, staring after Ben as he was with a faintly confused expression.

"Nice family," commented Ben as soon as we got into his car. "Except for the boyfriend."

I laughed as Ben turned the key ignition and pulled away from kerb, speeding away.

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><p><strong>Krissy &amp; Weronika x<strong>


	5. Chapter 5 New Beginnings

**Please Review :) Longest Chapter yet ;)**

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><p><strong>NEW BEGINNINGS<strong>

_**SYDNEY **_

"So spill," Ben waggled his eyebrows up and down at me as he sat on the kitchen worktop in our new apartment, his legs swinging, spooning Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream into his mouth.

"About what?" I was sitting at the table wearing an oversized t-shirt of Ben's and a pair of shorts as my pyjamas as mine were in the wash. I was also eating Ben & Jerry's. The flat was near enough empty apart from a mattress, the kitchen table and a few chairs. Ben's suitcases were piled up next to the door. Fortunately the heating and electricity were working, so we weren't going to be cold here.

"You know, about the resident coven. Tall, Pale and Pretty's family."

I arched an eyebrow. "Edward?"

"Duh."

"You shouldn't make fun of his skin, it's no paler than ours," I admonished.

"Speak for yourself. I may never get a tan, but at least I got normal skin." Ben stretched out an arm and examined it. "You're just albino."

"True." I looked down at my skin. "I am really white."

"You are like a sheet," Ben agreed, nodding his head sagely.

I gave him the finger. He just laughed.

"Anyway, tell me about them. Remember, information is power."

I sighed. "OK. Their leader's called Carlisle, he's the oldest, and a couple hundred years old. He works as a doctor in the local hospital."

"How does he resist the bloodlust?" Ben interrupted.

"These guys only drink animal blood, that's why their eyes are golden. They're vegetarian."

"That's possible?" Ben frowned.

I looked at him. "Evidently."

"Oh yeah. Yeah go on." Ben waved his spoon at me.

I rolled my eyes. "OK. Then he turned Edward, and Edward can read minds."

Ben looked up from his ice cream tub with sudden interest in his eyes. "He can read minds?"

"Yeah."

He grinned. "Looks like I can put my new mind protecting skills to the test."

"God, Ben. Don't you think he'll get suspicious if he can't read mine or your minds?"

"I don't care. I'm not letting anyone into my mind. The mind is a man's last sanctuary," he replied seriously.

"Man's?" I teased. "Bit sexist there, aren't you."

"Just carry on."

"Fine. Carlisle's mate is called Esme. She doesn't have any special powers, and she usually stays in the house. Then there's Rosalie, extremely pretty," Ben's eyes brightened "but she's got a mate called Emmett who's got _super strength."_ I emphasized the last bit. "Plus, she's not very nice."

Ben shrugged. "Ah well. Plenty more fish in the sea."

I rolled my eyes again. "The last two are Jasper and Alice, who are also mated. Alice can see the future, but like different possibilities, and it changed depending on the decisions people make. Jasper can influence people's emotions. Jasper also struggles the most with the not drinking human blood thing. He used to be in a newborn army down South."

"Hmm. You've obviously been busy," Ben congratulated me.

I smiled, finished off my ice cream and set it down on the table. "Well, you'll meet them tomorrow at school."

"True. Hey, you can introduce me."

"No I can't, I'm suspended, remember? For punching that idiot?"

"Oh yeah." Ben's face fell. "Then I guess I'll be sick tomorrow." He fake coughed, then felt his forehead. "I think I'm coming down with a chill. See, I'm freezing."

"Whatever." But the thought of not having to stay at the flat alone tomorrow cheered me up.

"And we can go shopping," Ben offered. "Fill this empty husk of a flat with some furniture. Make it our own."

I grinned. "That sounds great."

Ben jumped down from the worktop, suddenly animated. "The walls are already painted white, which is a good colour, makes the rooms look bigger and lighter. There's already carpet put down, and these tiles," he tapped the tiles on the kitchen floor with his foot. "Are fine. We don't have to go all out, 'cos we probably won't be here for really long. But we can get a corner sofa and a big TV, maybe a Playstation or Xbox..." he stopped when he saw my face. "What?"

I laughed. "Nothing. You're just so excited about this."

"Damn right I am. I'm making myself a home, and a man's home is his fortress," declared Ben.

"Seriously, stop with the sexism!"

I was rudely awoken the next day from a deep and gloriously dreamless sleep by Ben jumping on my mattress and sticking his finger in my ear like an excited child. "Wake up Syd!"

"Uuungh," I mumbled, rolling away from him, too tired to bother talking.

He shook me. "Wake up!"

I gave up all notion of resistance after a few minutes of constant shaking, and unglued my eyes, forcing them open, and saw Ben's hyper face, his eyes a bright glowing red that was already fading. The initial burst of bright colour that feeding brought on in the eyes darkened after a few hours, although contacts were still required to hide their red colour.

"Did you hurt anyone?" I asked, a little more awake, although not awake enough to be worried.

"Of course not. I have control," Ben replied huffily, offended. But he didn't stay that way for more than a few minutes. Ben was always like a small child high on sugar after feeding. "Gettupgettupgettup," he chanted, his words running into each other.

"No. Go back to sleep for a few hours. Let me enjoy my enforced absence from school."

Ben completely ignored me and swept me up off my mattress into his arms. I squealed and beat my fists against his chest. "Put me down now!"

"I'll wake you up," he promised, my fists as effective as feathers. He kicked my bedroom door opened, and crossed the living room into the bathroom in two strides. Inside the bathroom there was only a small bath tub, complete with a shower, a titchy sink and toilet. I twisted around in Ben's arms and saw that the bath tub had been filled almost to the brim with water. I guessed Ben's plan in half a second and started struggling harder.

"No, don't Ben," I begged, my pleas falling on deaf ears as Ben held me out over the bath and dropped me, plunging me into freezing cold water. Water spilled over the sides as it closed over me, splashing onto the floor. I gasped as I emerged from the water, water streaming down my face like tears. My t-shirt was clinging to me like a second skin. Gooseflesh was raising on my skin.

Ben was laughing helplessly, doubled up and struggling to breathe. He collapsed into fresh laughter as he saw the look on my face. My lips twitched in spite of myself.

"This a new low, even for you, Ben," I told him.

"You needed to wake up," he replied after recovering, giving me a wicked smile.

"Too far."

"How about I make it up to you later?" His eyes sparkled like rubies. "And just to make it fair..."

I eyed him with some confusion as he kicked off his shoes and started unbuttoning his shirt. "What?"

He threw the shirt on the floor, not particularly caring that the material was steadily growing darker with the water it was absorbing. "Move your legs."

"Oh no," I began, but he vaulted into the tub opposite me, causing more water to slop onto the floor, before I could finish.

"Jesus! This water really is seriously cold," Ben exclaimed, but he didn't move to get out, instead resting his arms on the sides of the tub and moving his legs a bit to get comfortable, squashing me a little against my end of the tub.

I raised an eyebrow. "And the point of that was..?"

"No point." He grinned and splashed me with some water. "I feel like a little kid again. You know, when you used to share a bath with your brothers and sisters?"

"Still a child at heart aren't you?" I commented. "Well now you've ensured that it'll take longer to go out, since I have to dry my hair and you have to clean up all the water on the floor."

"Not really," Ben disagreed. "If I'd let you sleep, you'd have been in bed for like five hours, and it'll take less than half an hour to do all that stuff if we're quick."

I considered this. "True."

"So," Ben waggled his eyebrows. "Wanna get out or do you want to stay in here with me and my awesome body?"

"When you put it that way..." I grasped the sides of the bath and pushed myself up.

Ben put a hand over his heart, affecting a mock offended expression. "You do me great hurt lady. You have deeply wounded me."

"Yeah, whatever. Now clean up this water when you've decided your cold enough." Water dripped off my clothes and hit the floor, sounding like little raindrops.

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any colder," Ben muttered behind me, just loud enough for me to hear.

I bit back a smile.

Forty-five minutes later we were ready. Ben had mopped up the bathroom, and I had blow-dried my hair hastily which meant that it curled at the endings. Ben had also calmed down considerably, his blood-high wearing off, and was back to making fun of me.

"A tortoise moves faster than you," he complained at one point. "It shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes absolute maximum to get ready."

"Ah Ben, you have so much to learn about girls. Never fear, young grasshopper, you will learn," I'd replied.

Now I folded myself into the passenger seat of the bright red Mini Cooper S Ben had bought the previous day.

"How do you adjust the seat?" I asked, looking around the edges of my seat for some sort of lever.

"Uh," answered Ben, only half paying attention while he fiddled with the radio dial. "Under the seat in the middle there's a lever. Pull it up."

I found the lever, and pulled it, pushing the seat back at the same time to allow more space for my legs. Ben pressed the radio dial and fiddled with it until he found some pop station. Then he started the engine, the music pausing for a few moments as the car turned on, and pulled away from the curb.

"So what's on the agenda?" I asked him, running my fingers through my hair to check there weren't any tangles.

"I was thinking furniture store first, get a sofa and new beds. We can probably also pick up a few little tables for the living room, and definitely a new table for the kitchen. A bookcase too maybe. Then we can work on getting other stuff, like cutlery, plates, food, and I definitely want a big TV and Xbox." He grinned at me. "Don't have to be a kid to want one."

I rolled my eyes. "OK, whatever. How we paying for all this?"

"Well, I have made investments in the past few years. I'm obscenely rich now. So are you actually, if you'd actually bothered to check that bank account and not leave everything to me."

I grinned. "So we can go crazy?"

"No way. Just 'cos we have money doesn't mean we have to buy the most expensive thing possible."

I thought of something. "You got fake ID?"

He snorted. "Don't we all? We will have to buy a few, ah, _special_ items with that actually."

"We're such typical teenagers," I joked. He laughed. We sat in companionable silence for a while, listening to the radio, until Ben parked outside Furniture Haven. Which totally lived up to its name. It was a huge renovated warehouse just outside Forks, and filled with people looking at all the different types of furniture.

Choosing the beds was fun. Ben and I bounced up and down on all the different mattresses, ignoring the dirty looks from the staff, until we found ones that we liked. I chose a queen-sized with a thick iron frame and an intricate design on the headboard, Ben a king-sized one with soft fabric covering the wooden frame. We arranged for them to be delivered tomorrow morning (I would still be suspended, and Ben refused to go without me because it would be 'no fun'). Then Ben pulled me over to the sofas, where we quickly found a smoky grey corner one which was big enough for the both of us to lie on at the same time, and so soft I didn't want to get off it.

Then Ben pulled me over to the tables and bookcases, in full-on buyer mode, which I found hilarious. He was asking the staff detailed questions, like how durable different types of woods were, and the size and shape best suited to the shape of our kitchen. I didn't really pay attention during this, and wandered over to the duvet section, fingering the different covers and idly reading the information on different types of duvet fillings. I soon found a deep red quilt cover that I absolutely loved. Darker than blood, it had thin lines of gold twisting through it. I bought it before Ben had finished with the tables, not waiting for him.

We were finished with the furniture selection sometime after one, having arrived not long after the shop had opened, and headed for a little cafe for lunch. Afterwards we found a little shop selling plates and cutlery, cheaper than any big chain store, and bought things from there. Our new plates and bowls all had pale stripes, only a few shades darker than the cream of the background. Then finally, we went personal item shopping. We quickly bought me a new laptop (Ben already had one), and then browsed for TV's. We chose one that was huge, easily over 50 inches, and had a HD screen. It also came with wall brackets, so we could hang it up on the wall. Ben got excited when we found the electronic gaming devices, buying an Xbox Kinect and about 40 games for it. I refrained from rolling my eyes when he bought them. Boys and their toys.

Ben also bought a crate of beer when we went food shopping, which I didn't complain about, and a few packs of cigarettes and a lighter, which I did complain about disapprovingly. He merely shrugged.

"Why not? It's not like they're gonna kill me now, are they? 'Sides, they're nice. Try one if you want."

I concluded he had a point, but I didn't particularly want to start up smoking. Charlie would kill me if he found out. Well, not literally. That was kinda impossible now.

We were home late, around eight. I made Ben go outside onto the little balcony to smoke, and the both of us crashed early. We had a busy day tomorrow.

This time I was able to sleep in. The stuff we'd bought the previous day didn't come until just before noon, so I had plenty of time to get ready. First we did the bedrooms, putting the beds in (which required both of us, not because the bed was too heavy for one of us to carry, but because it was awkward to do so), putting the duvets covers on, arranging the wardrobe and little chest-of-drawers which doubled up as a bedside cabinet, which I then filled with clothes I'd also bought the previous day, as I hadn't had time to buy more than the rucksack full I'd had. I pushed the desk in front of the window, after putting up curtains, and set my laptop and schoolbooks down on it. Finally, I stepped back and admired the room, pleased that it looked more _mine_ now, rather than an anonymous room no one lived in. It would look better once I'd filled the bookcase, and maybe put up a few pictures, but for now it was fine.

Ben popped back into my room. "Looks a lot better now, doesn't it?" he said, somewhat proud. "Told you this apartment was good."

"You're right," I grinned. "Just a bit empty now."

Ben waved a hand airily. "Oh you know we got plenty of money. If you're worried about the empty bookself, we can go buy up the bookstore. Although maybe not here, don't really want to draw attention to ourselves. You're still suspended tomorrow, aren't you? We can go up to Seattle and hang out there." His eyes gleamed. He was enjoying himself. "I want to get some fish too. I think it'd be awesome to have a fish tank in the living room, don't you think? I really wanna get a dog, but that takes more effort, and I don't think we'll have enough time for one." He was practically bouncing with happiness. I smiled.

"Sure we can get some fish. All in good time though."

"'Kay. I ordered some pizza. I think we deserve some food after all that heavy lifting."

"Aw, are you tired? Did lifting the sofa tire you out?" I teased.

"Screw you. Pizza'll be here in ten minutes. Come on, I think I've got the TV working." He left.

I looked around, feeling a sense of happiness. Maybe I could make myself a home here with Ben and my family. And it would be fun teasing Edward and his family. A smile curved my lips upwards. Oh, we were going to have fun.

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><p><strong>Krissy &amp; Weronika x<strong>


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